Kent State police believed rape suspect wasn't a threat

Wednesday

While a report of a rape on the Kent State University campus was made within 24 hours of the alleged incident, Kent State police never issued any alert for the university.

A former Kent State student, Connor Hendry, 20, of Stow, has been arrested on charges he raped a 20-year-old girl in April 2018. Hendry majored in criminology and justice studies with a focus in policing. He attended Kent State between Fall 2014 and Summer 2018 and no longer is allowed on the campus, according to a spokesman for the university.

Tricia Knoles, a spokeswoman for the Kent State Police Department, said because Hendry and the alleged victim knew one another, the police believed the incident was isolated. There did not seem to be an ongoing threat to students, she said, and police believed no one else was in danger.

The suspect's identity also was known to police, Knoles said.

He was indicted last week for rape, a first-degree felony; sexual battery, a third-degree felony; abduction, a third-degree felony; gross sexual imposition, a fourth-degree felony; sexual imposition, a third-degree misdemeanor; solicitation, a third-degree misdemeanor; and unauthorized use of property, a fifth-degree felony.

Knoles said the incident was reported at 11:15 p.m. April 22 and occurred that morning at 2:30 a.m.

The alleged rape took place at a Centennial Court residence hall, according to the cover sheet of the police report, which was released by the Kent State Police Department. A copy of the police report has not been made available by Kent State police.

After his arrest, Hendry was released on a 10 percent of $35,000 bond. A jury trial is scheduled for April 16 in Judge Laurie Pittman’s court.

According to the 2018 Annual Security Report for Kent State’s main campus, 12 alleged rapes were reported to Kent State police in 2017, all of which occurred in residence halls.